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ESPN, Nascar, PGA find it’s in best interest to dump Trump

By Sabrina Rodriguez, Politics on July 7, 2015

Los Angeles, California — ESPN has removed themselves from Donald Trump’s charity match. The billionaire businessman was all set to host a charity golf event from one of his courses in New Jersey. The sports channel, which is majority-owned by Disney, will not be covering the event.

ESPN says that they have “deep feelings” about him branding the Mexican people as drug dealers, criminals and rapists.

“Our decision reflects our deep feelings for our former colleague [Stuart Scott] and support for inclusion of all sports fans,” an ESPN spokesman said. “Diversity and inclusion are core values at ESPN and our decision also supports that commitment.”

The event, which is being held to raise research funds for cancer that affects minorities, was scheduled for Trump’s golf course in New Jersey on July 14. Instead, the event has been relocated to Pelican Hill Golf Club in Los Angeles.

“We decided it was appropriate to change the venue and are grateful for the opportunity to stage the event at Pelican Hill on short notice. This charity outing benefits The V Foundation’s Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund,” the spokesman added.

Prior to ESPN’s decision, Nascar announced they would not hold its post-season award banquets at the Trump National Doral resort in Miami.

The decision was forced on Nascar after the boss of the awards’ biggest sponsor threatened a boycott and branded Trump “blatantly bigoted and racist”.

Marcus Lemonis, chairman and chief executive of Camping World, said, “Last year, our Nascar Camping World Truck Series Awards Ceremony was held at the Trump National Doral in Miami, and due to recent and ongoing blatantly bigoted and racist comments from Donald Trump in regards to immigrants of the United States, I would like to inform you that I will not, nor will any representative of Camping World, participate or attend in the ceremonial event if it is held at any Trump property.

“Our company will not stand to support any person or organization that associates with such beliefs and we feel strongly about distancing ourselves from any negative and discriminatory comments made against any gender, ethnicity, age group or so forth. I would hope that the entire Nascar organization would agree with my sentiments.”

A Nascar spokesman reported, “We were monitoring it closely and started looking at our own relationship with him and how it may have an impact and ultimately made the decision it does not make sense to continue that. We looked at everything that was said and done and we heard from a lot of our partners and friends and factored all that in.”

Related: Mexico’s Carlos Slim cuts ties with Donald Trump

On Tuesday, the PGA and Trump Organization “mutually agreed that it is in everyone’s best interest” for the 2015 grand slam tournament not to be held at Trump’s Los Angeles club.

“Due to the controversy surrounding statements made by Mr. Trump having to do with illegal immigrants pouring into the United States from Mexico and other parts of the world, Mr. Trump does not want his friends at the PGA of America to suffer any consequences or backlash,” the billionaire’s company said in a statement.

The PGA did not comment about their motivation for the decision, only saying that the association met with Trump on Monday and “is in the process of exploring options, including a venue for its annual PGA Junior League Golf Championship, and will comment further at the appropriate time”.

Despite public outrage, Trump continues with similar remarks on Monday adding “tremendous infectious diseases…pouring across the border” to the list of things Mexican people supposedly bring into the United States.